Early results from Uganda's presidential election show the long-serving leader, Yoweri Museveni, holding a commanding lead, as reports of overnight violence and allegations of mass fraud cast a shadow over the poll.
Commanding Lead in Early Tallies
The country's electoral commission announced figures on Friday, indicating that Museveni had secured 76.25% of the vote based on tallies from nearly half of all polling stations. His main rival, the popular singer and politician Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, trailed significantly with 19.85%. Six other candidates shared the remaining portion of the vote.
Museveni, who is 81 and has ruled Uganda since 1986, voted on Thursday in Rwakitura. He later told reporters he anticipated winning with around 80% of the vote, "if there's no cheating". The election was conducted under a nationwide internet blackout, which authorities stated was necessary to prevent the spread of misinformation.
Violence and Contradictory Accounts
While voting hours on Thursday passed without major incident, violence erupted overnight in the town of Butambala, approximately 55 kilometres southwest of the capital, Kampala. Conflicting narratives have emerged from the scene.
Prominent human rights activist Agather Atuhaire reported that soldiers and police killed at least 10 opposition supporters. According to her account, based on information from rights activist Zahara Nampewo, the victims had gathered at the home of opposition MP Muwanga Kivumbi to follow early results when security forces fired tear gas and live bullets into the compound.
Local police spokesperson Lydia Tumushabe offered a starkly different version of events. She claimed that opposition "goons" organised by Kivumbi, armed with machetes, axes, and matches, had attacked a police station. Police fired in self-defence, she said, resulting in an unspecified number of fatalities and injuries. Reuters could not independently verify the circumstances.
Opposition Under Pressure
Bobi Wine's National Unity Platform (NUP) party alleged widespread fraud during the election and called for peaceful protests. The party also stated on social media platform X that the military and police had surrounded Wine's home in Kampala late on Thursday, effectively placing him under house arrest.
Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke denied knowledge of any house arrest. This mirrors events after the 2021 election, when security forces confined Wine to his home for several days. The United States deemed that previous vote neither free nor fair, a charge Ugandan authorities rejected.
The campaign leading up to this election was marked by severe repression. Security forces repeatedly used tear gas and live ammunition to break up opposition rallies, resulting in at least one death and hundreds of arrests. The government defended these actions as a response to alleged lawlessness by Wine's supporters.
The United Nations human rights office warned last week that the election was occurring in a climate of "widespread repression and intimidation". Recent political violence in neighbouring Tanzania and Kenya had already heightened fears of potential unrest in Uganda.
